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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999957">It's oh so quiet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/delicatelingon/pseuds/delicatelingon'>delicatelingon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Girls (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:27:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999957</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/delicatelingon/pseuds/delicatelingon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She doesn’t want to tell him, being weak in front of him. She wants to hold her own. In every way he tells her he doesn’t need her, she’s just work, she wants to show him she can run her thing like a well oiled machine. Except she can’t.</p><p> </p><p>“There was a situation.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beth Boland/Rio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>254</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It goes something like this.</p><p>Beth and her girls work day and night to print and wash cash, all to get Rio his cut and for them enough money to feel like crime is <em>finally</em> starting to pay off.</p><p>Drinking a big gulp at the gas station Annie works at, which they use for washing a small portion of the cash, Beth hears the tell-tale ding-dong as a customer enters the store.<br/>
It all happens so quick, Ruby hasn’t even come back from the restroom, before the man with a stocking pulled down on his face disappears with the freshly printed money.</p><p>The worst part, he seemed to know they had it. He seemed to know that Beth was lugging around a bag full of cash.</p><p>If it were the first time Beth had a gun pointed at her face she might’ve been more scared. Maybe her lip would’ve quiver just like Annie’s did. As always, the gun seemed to be pointed at her and only her, which was a relief. She doesn’t know what she would’ve done if the gun was pointed at her baby sister.</p><p>When she’s calmed down Annie she has to start all over with Ruby, once she too grasps the gravity of the situation.<br/>
They are worried, of course they are, her girls, not only were she just held at gunpoint, the assailant must’ve tracked her, followed her.</p><p>No-one knows how to tell the gangbanger that they lost the money, it goes without saying until Beth’s placed that cash in a box from the card store, tied a hemp string knot around it, personally delivered it either to the man himself or his right hand man. They’re responsible for the money.</p><p>She gives Ruby a long hard hug outside her car, watching her as she drives off, promises of ‘be careful’ spoken between them. As she drives Annie home, who’s sprouting off all her worries of what will come next, she tries to formulate a plan in her head.</p><p>Maybe she could ask Mick for another favor? The heaviness of the situation makes her question if he wouldn’t just run back to his boss and she rather be the one to tell him herself. The next drop isn’t until the day before next, it’s barely enough time to print that much money, even less to wash it.</p><p>They try, she even calls Judith for a favor of helping out with the kids. Ruby calls in sick at the saloon to help out. In two days they’ve made about half of the green rubber money, until she’s waiting at the bench alone, close to midnight.</p><p>It’s summer and she’s done what she does best. She’s put on a warrior dress, a yellow flowy dress, it’s tight around her torso and chest, flowing freely around her legs as she walks. She’s even redone her makeup, needing fresh warrior paint. That’s how she feels, knowing it’ll be a battle.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Mick jumps out of the driver seat, Rio always rides along but doesn’t always get out of the car. Taking one look at the half amount of what’s supposed to be there, he nods at his boss, signaling for him to join them.</p><p>In a few strides he’s in front of her, towering over as he peers down at her. She feels the excitement squeeze its fist around her spinal cord. She’s longed for this. An opponent.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re short.”</p><p> </p><p>“This is what I could produce this time. I’ll have the rest and the normal cut at the next drop.”</p><p> </p><p>Ruby and Annie is still at the shop cutting and putting on the final glow, on her way home she’s planned to stop by the shop, bring a new batch home to tumble dry.</p><p>Her answer makes him rock his jaw in annoyance, a look at Mick before he takes the seat opposite to her. Mick huffs out a laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“Explain.”</p><p> </p><p>Always with the dramatic flair, she barely keeps herself from rolling her eyes at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Something came up. I promise you, you’ll get your regular cut next time, plus what I don’t have this time.”</p><p> </p><p>“With interest.”</p><p> </p><p>Now it’s her turn to grind her teeth. Interest means no cut for her or the girls.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t do that.”</p><p> </p><p>“No. You’re telling me the price of ink’s up again? You can’t get the right glow? Or maybe this time it’s the paper that’s the problem?”</p><p> </p><p>She tries to temper down, nothing good will come if she loses her head too.</p><p> </p><p>“I hear what you’re saying. This time there was nothing to be done.”</p><p> </p><p>“You still think you get to be an exception? Whatever deal we had before is over, you’re just another cog in my machine. If you can’t deliver on time, there’s gonna’ be an interest.”</p><p> </p><p>She doesn’t want to tell him, being weak in front of him. She wants to hold her own. In every way he tells her he doesn’t need her, she’s just work, she wants to show him she can run her thing like a well oiled machine. Except she can’t.</p><p> </p><p>“There was a situation.”</p><p> </p><p>His hand gesture telling her to get on with it, and quickly.</p><p> </p><p>“I was moving the money to be washed.”</p><p> </p><p>She doesn’t want to say it.</p><p> </p><p>“You were moving the money…”</p><p> </p><p>His tone tells her he is already running out of whatever patient he was trying to hold on to.</p><p> </p><p>“And I guess I was robbed.”</p><p> </p><p>“Come again?” His tone implies he doesn’t believe her, or he doesn’t think he’s heard it right.</p><p> </p><p>“Someone took the money from me.” She makes her eyes look big and a bit obstinate, like-please-don’t-make-me-say-it-again.</p><p> </p><p>He thinks it over, grinds his teeth, feeling the building of a headache.</p><p> </p><p>“Someone took the money.”</p><p> </p><p>“He had a gun and everything.” She tries to explain, defend herself really, she wouldn’t just <em>hand</em> over it.</p><p> </p><p>“When was this?”</p><p> </p><p>“Two days ago.”</p><p> </p><p>“Two days…” He trails off, trying to keep his temper in check. “Why are you just telling me this now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well. You know how you can get.”</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p> </p><p>“You know. With your “incentives”.” She even uses air quotes to illustrate how he gets when he’s upset with her.</p><p> </p><p>“Did they know you had the money on you?”</p><p><br/>
“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>He’s quite for a bit, “damn.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Tell me all you can tell me about him.”</p><p> </p><p>So she does, fills him in, when she’s done he’s quiet for a bit. She knows she was there, but the harshness on his face and the anger in his eyes lets her know what she hadn’t wanting to let herself think of, the gravity of the situation.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re shutting it down for a bit.”</p><p> </p><p>“What! No?” This was not what she expected from him.</p><p> </p><p>“Someone knew you where hauling a shit tone of money in that mama- bag, before I know the grasp of the situation we’re shut down. This isn’t up for discussion. No more printing. No more washing.”</p><p>He’s contemplating, what comes out next almost sound like begging. “I mean it, Elizabeth.”</p><p>She waves her hand at him as to say ‘fine’. As he stands up he signal Mick to get the money, and give her the cut. When he’s about to turn around he stops, shifts his weight from the front foot the back foot,</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have a gun?”</p><p> </p><p>A simple question poised with gravity.</p><p> </p><p>“No.”</p><p> </p><p>A look at Mick has him grabbing for one of his, it’s a smaller one, it’ll suit her.</p><p> </p><p>“Keep it close to you at all times.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>It doesn’t take him long.</p><p>It’s barely a week later when Beth and Dean are both putting the kids to bed when her phone lights up. Before she’s got the chance to take it from Emma’s bedside table Dean’s there, unlocking it and reading, scoffing before handing it to Beth with a disappointed frown.</p><p> </p><p>“Lucky’s in 20”</p><p> </p><p>That’s all it says, his numbers not saved on her phone, after the first time he’d texted her she’d planned to. But what would she put him in as? If she by an off chance lost her phone, she didn’t want his number saved under his own name. What could she possible save him under that did the past year justice?</p><p>Emma’s out and so is Jane, Danny’s asleep with a book covering his face, falling a sleep midsentence. Kenny’s another story, he’s like her too much, laying in bed at night pondering the day and coming days worries.</p><p> </p><p>“Hun’, why don’t you try reading a little bit longer?”</p><p> </p><p>He’s already turned his nightside light off, but after trying different ways for him to relax and unwind, it’s proven most efficient for him to reread book or comic. The routine of it seems to have a calming effect on his mind.</p><p> </p><p>She tries to be quick, it’s only around eight on a school night but she feels grimy after a days work, a quick shower and a change in clothes before she rushes out through the front door without saying goodnight to Dean.<br/>
He read the text. He knows where she’s headed.</p><p> </p><p>The set up’s the same as those month’s ago, Mick hanging back at the bar, Rio trying to eat sushi with chopstick seeming to have a mind of it’s own and his fingers too long to get it right.</p><p> </p><p>When he eats in silence, not really acknowledging her, what’s probably an intimidation tactic, she takes a second to observe him.</p><p>She’s not one to mourn, when her dad left, she didn’t cry, she didn’t call and beg him to come back, she heard her mother on the phone late at night, after a bottle of wine or two.</p><p>She didn’t mourn when she had to drop out of college after one term, ‘cause she had Annie to look after and even when though her mom tried like she had promised, to look after her, it didn’t work. Beth never looked back, she never thought of <em>what ifs</em>.</p><p>Dean cheating on her, it took her a second, he’d been her constant for so long. Her sun whom she had revolve around without a second thought anymore.</p><p> </p><p><em>He</em> doesn’t look the same, he looks sharper. The youthfulness she saw in him when they first met is gone.<br/>
Dean was shot and he changed too, but not like this. The only similarity between them seemed to be that they both held her responsible for their shootings.</p><p> </p><p>When he’s finished fishing the last piece of pickled ginger off his tray, having his tongue flick out and catch on to it, Beth can’t help but feel like she’s watching a movie, or observing him behind a mirrored glass.<br/>
He meets her gaze briefly as he looks over his shoulder to Mick, who abandons his post by the bar and comes over to join them.</p><p>He sits down besides Beth, Rio’s posed across from her in the middle, she had hoped it would be a short meeting, sitting more towards the end of the seat. Mick’s imposing in her space, nudging her with his elbow, gesturing for her to scoot over.<br/>
She can’t help the sigh or the roll of her eyes as she makes space for him.</p><p>Mick reaching into his jacked to lay a think envelope on the table, raising red alerts.</p><p> </p><p>“This relationships of ours…”</p><p> </p><p>One look at Rio tells her he’s enjoying this, letting her relive the evening he handed her the gun that killed Lucy.</p><p> </p><p>“…it’s been, taken a turn for the better.” He seems to choose his words carefully, pausing in the middle for dramatics.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Yeah. I agree.” Beth has no idea where this is headed, as she rarely does when it comes to Rio.</p><p> </p><p>He smirks a little at her answer.</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s time to flip my game.”</p><p> </p><p>He lets his last words settle with her, not explaining his intention.</p><p> </p><p>“What would that mean for me?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s time to move on from washing.”</p><p> </p><p>She can feel her heart beating in her throat, if he doesn’t have a need for her… He won’t let her print cash on her own, she knows it. She still owes him.</p><p>She waits for him to elaborate.</p><p> </p><p>“Noise can be good. This <em>thing</em> we’ve had has been a good way to get back in the game. We need a better use for that front.”</p><p> </p><p>“Boland Bubbles?”</p><p> </p><p>“I got a contact in Ontario who’ll be expecting us on Friday.”</p><p> </p><p>Wait, what? “Us?”</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring her and nodding to Mick, Mick slides the envelope to her. She doesn’t want to pick it up.</p><p> </p><p>“Pick it up.” Rio tells her.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want to.” She can’t help her pouting, she knows he’ll make her.</p><p> </p><p>He smirks menacingly at her words, runs his tongue over his front teeth before sucking in air.</p><p> </p><p>“Open it.” He leans back and watches her, waiting for what she’ll do.</p><p> </p><p>Timidly she picks the envelope up, it’s big and heavy, not like last time at all when he had her touch the gun.<br/>
She knows <em>that</em> weight and <em>that</em> feeling.<br/>
When she looks inside it’s her money. The money and inside are stained dark red, red with someone’s blood.</p><p> </p><p>The bar's quiet, there’s a lonely patron sitting on a highchair, it’s that odd time of the evening on a weekday, when it’s a little too early and too late at the same time. The barkeep is moving quietly behind the bar, wiping it down, checking what needs refilling. The air is a little clammy, the heat of the day transferring into humidity inside the bar.</p><p> </p><p>“He won’t bother you again.” He holds her gaze when he’s says it, like it has a meaning he wants her to decipher.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Are you <em>serious</em> right now?” She smacks Mick’s outstretched hand.</p><p> </p><p>Mick gives her a look that says, smack my hand again and I’ll rip that bud right out of your ear.<br/>
He had lent her one of his earbuds so she too could listen to the movie, having forgotten her own earphones after a last-minute panic.</p><p>As she was rolling her carry-on luggage down the hallway, she had found Dean in the living room, playing with Lego (quelle surprise) and couldn’t account for the kids.<br/>
Having to call Annie desperately, not above begging, to come and stay while she was away on a business trip.<br/>
She had told Dean that there was a convention in Ontario she wanted to attend, there was one- but she wasn’t. She’s not even sure if he believes her, she didn’t try too hard to sell her lie.</p><p> </p><p>Mick had the final say in what movie they would watch so it was only fair if she could keep her snacks to herself.</p><p>She puts the small container with olives that Mick’s eying in her cleavage. Hiding the rest of her chips in her hand, munching like a squirrel, in hopes of eating it quick enough so she won’t be forced to share. Ignoring Mick’s disgusting and longing looks at her olives.</p><p>Beth is smooshed in the middle seat between Mick and Rio. Rio wanting the window seat and calling it first, grunting annoyingly at Mick when he called the seat closest to the isle.<br/>
Leaving Beth to rub her bare arm against Mick’s sticky leather jacket (oh god, what was that stickiness?) as she tries to keep as much distance from Rio as possible.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Mick had as soon as possible, when the flight attendants had started selling food and beverages, waived one down, not even waiting his turn, ordered vodka on the rocks for all of them.<br/>
Mick seemingly waiting for her and Rio to open their third bottle of mini vodka, she lets him clink their bottles together before downing it.</p><p> </p><p>“I wondered if I could pick your brain about a few things.” Mick says.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been seeing this dude…”</p><p> </p><p>Before he has the chance to continue, she hears Rio sigh heavily besides her, like he’s heard this a ton of times already.</p><p>Reaching for the fourth bottle of Absolut, she thinks, this is going to be a <em>long</em> flight.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>Beth’s drunk. <em>So </em>drunk.</p><p>Maybe she shouldn’t have had that finger of Bourbon while she waited for Rio to come and pick her up at her house.<br/>
Or that one when she got pissed at Dean for playing with their kids things, without actually knowing where the kids were at.</p><p>At least it seems like both Mick and Rio are sporting some sort of buzz too. That’s the only explanation for when they arrive at their chic hotel, when Mick sees there is a sign that says “Karaoke night” at the little bar, he squeals in delight and Rio isn’t that hard to convince to give it a go.</p><p>She barely has the time to drop off her luggage in her room with an en-suite, they share a common area, splashing some water on her face, chugging down a half a bottle of water from the mini fridge when Mick’s at her door, knocking, urging her to hurry up.</p><p>That’s how she finds herself seated next to Rio, both sipping on fruity cocktails as Mick’s on a small stage. It isn’t really a stage, it’s two pallets on top of each other, but Mick’s treating like he’s performing Lady Gaga’s <em>Bad Romance</em> at the VMA’s.</p><p>As Mick hits a high note (one he most definitely misses) Beth shares a side glance with Rio and a small smile.</p><p>This was definitely not what she was expecting when she was told she was coming on a work trip.</p><p> </p><p>Then Mick’s there pulling her up on the stage, she says ‘<em>no</em>’ in that way that’s not really a no and when Rio’s pushing her to join Mick, she gives in.<br/>
A few lines in when they start on the chorus, she realizes which song Mick picked and she studiously avoids Rio and stares at the monitor in front of her, pretending like she doesn’t know the song by heart.<br/>
Feeling the heat spread over her face, down her chest to the tip of her ears she wills herself to relax, it <em>doesn’t mean anything, </em>and Mick must’ve picked it without a hidden agenda. She hopes.</p><p>Mick’s got his arm around her waist, swaying to the beat as they sing ’90 classic chorus of Roxette;</p><p>
  <em>It must have been love, but it’s over now, it must’ve been good, but I lost it somehow, It must’ve been love, but it’s over now</em>
</p><p> </p><p>After the song she sits back in her chair asks for a water.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t know you could sing.” Rio looks impressed.</p><p> </p><p>“I was in every musical in High school.” She states, she’s proud of that fact, it’s always been her thing.</p><p> </p><p>Excusing herself to join the restroom, on her way back, a patron stops her with a hand on her arm,</p><p>“You were really good up there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you.” She tries to shake his hand of her arm.</p><p> </p><p>“Can I buy you a drink?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m here with some friends.” He’s cute but not her type, and anyway, she wouldn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Vaguely in the background she hears Mick over the microphone, “hey, hey dude” and then there is a fist flying by her face.<br/>
Rio’s dark eyes are shotting daggers at the guy and it’s a flurry of motions before security and the bartender is breaking them apart.</p><p>The patron is kicked out, and Beth feels the adrenaline flying even after they’ve been ushered to the lift, being told that if they weren’t staying at the hotel they would’ve been told to leave. Instead they are asked, not so politely, to call it a night and retreat to their rooms.</p><p>Mick’s grumbling and swaying, irritated by the fact he doesn’t get to continue singing karaoke. Rio’s leaning back, poised, eyelids heavy as he regards Beth whereas she’s leaning to the side, ignoring his heavy stare.</p><p>When she enters her room, she downs the rest of the water from the bottle of water. Wobbling slightly, she cleans the rest of her smudge makeup as well as her face. Half undressed, in her panties and her blouse from earlier, still wearing her socks, full of determination, she leaves in search of Rio.</p><p>As she opens the door, she sees Rio on his way to her, stopping a few feet away. Pulling the door closed behind her, she waits. </p><p>She’s always been the one to take the first step knowing that now, after pulling the trigger, it’ll be his call.</p><p>Down to his boxers and vest, barefoot and even though she feels self-conscious about her half- dressed state, she waits.</p><p>In a few strides, a new determination, he’s on her. Grabbing her hands holding them above her head, pressing himself close to her. Looking into her eyes, breathing her air, she feels all of him, pressed against her. He’s searching her eyes, before dropping them to her lips.</p><p>Then he steps away, backing up, like he’s got cold feet, until he’s back where he started, and Beth can’t have that.<br/>
Compared to her he’s scrawny, so when she pounces, in what can only be described as a tackle, he goes down, lets out an <em>‘ouf’ </em>as she lands on top.<br/>
Now she’s the one to grab his hands, holding them above his head, a leg on each side of his waist as she rubs herself on him, leaning forward as she’s nose- to- nose, breathing him in.</p><p>Giving him a lick over his mouth she can taste the cocktail from earlier mixed with toothpaste.</p><p>After her first lick he surges up to kiss her and they fight for control. He pushes her off until they both are standing, panting.</p><p>Rio’s stalking towards her, the determination is back and she backs up as he gets closer, hitting the door, she takes her eyes off him as she’s looking for the door knob and then he’s on her. Holding her face in his hands, kissing her in a way that makes her lips ache and she <em>loves it.</em></p><p>The pace is fast and it doesn’t take long until he’s inside her on the bed with a maddening tempo as she scratches his back with her nails under his vest.</p><p>“Hold on hold on.” He stops in the midst of a thrust.</p><p>“What?” If he changes his mind in the middle of this, she’s got a thing or two to tell him.</p><p>“The worlds spinning. I’m fucked.” He rests his forehead against her temple. “I’m gonna’ hurl if we don’t slow down.”</p><p>He slips out of her and she winces. She can hear him turning on the tap in her bathroom. When he reenters the bedroom, he stops and looks at her, sighs heavily, a hand on his cock, holding it to his stomach. Pulling his vest off he sits down at the foot of the bed, resting his head on his hand, elbow on his knee.</p><p>Beth pulls the cover over her, “you okay?”</p><p>“Just drunk,” he sighs.</p><p>He pulls on one of her socks, taking it off, then the other, before lifting the cover, crawling under it up to her.<br/>
They lay side by side, just looking at each other, Beth can’t help but feel glad that the cover hides his scars, she doesn’t know what she’ll do when she sees them. If she sees them.</p><p>Undressing her, helping her out of her blouse and her bra, he rubs the red marks that’s left behind. When he kisses her this time it’s soft and slow. Sweet. Pushing her hair away from her face with both hands, he holds onto her. The sex is less frantic, slow deep thrusts that fills her and she can’t help the needy way she holds on to him too.</p><p> </p><p>Waking early, her mouth feeling like it’s filled with sand from a desert, untangles herself from Rio, stumbles in the bathroom, pees, brushes her teeth and drinking what feels like her weight in water.</p><p>Peering at him from the doorway as he sleeps on his back, having rolled over once she left him, a hand over his face she sees the scarce clearly.<br/>
Laying down next to him, pillow under her head, a hand under the pillow she lays on her side observing him. Tentatively she lifts one hand and strokes the puckered scar on his shoulder, feeling the indentations and peaks with the tip of her finger, before she trails of to the next, and then lower to the last, covering it with her palm.</p><p>When she peers up, she almost startles at Rio’s clear eyes, watching her back. Almost like he would be an injured animal, she slowly lifts her hand away from his body, as not to spook him, laying her hand in the space between them.</p><p>He relaxes then, closes his eyes again, seeming to drift off so she does the same, closing her eyes, when she feels his hand seeking out hers. His pinky holding on to hers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Epilogue. When I started this fic it was because of the ending I had in mind. Short and sweet.<br/>So here it is, the final chapter.<br/>(It's so fluffy!)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>When the bed dips from a weight, Beth slowly returns to the living, clinging to the dreamland trying to go back to sleep.<br/>
To no avail. She’s face down, a pillow over her head as the suns rays finds it’s way to her face tickling her eyes. It’s too bright, she can’t help but a let out a little groan of dissatisfaction. She can feel the duvet tangled around her legs, leaving her back exposed, heat radiating from Rio now that he is back. <em>Oh God</em>, she had slept with Rio.</p><p>It settles uneasy in her stomach. The day after, she’s never had a day after before and she can suddenly relate to Annie’s talk about feeling shame.<br/>
As he seems like he’s able to follow her sense of thought, feather like touches across her back has her almost moaning. Heats radiating of off him and goosebumps erupts over her arms and as he seems to notice he brings the duvet up over her. Takes to playing with the ends of her hair instead.</p><p>She can hear him getting ready to speak a few times before he finally says what’s on his mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Freaking out yet?”</p><p> </p><p>She hums noncommittedly, how does one answer that?</p><p><br/>
“A little.”</p><p> </p><p>He tugs on a strand, “gonna’ tell me to leave?”</p><p> </p><p>“No?” Even she can hear the hesitancy in her voice.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you regret it?”</p><p> </p><p>“No. No I don’t.” That’s something she’s sure of, wearing her heart on her sleeve. Being brave, hoping he won't crush it.</p><p>“You?”</p><p> </p><p>“No momma.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s a pregnant pause before he continues.</p><p>“If I could I’d have my way with you every night.”</p><p> </p><p><br/>
Pulling the pillow from her face she peeks at him, that was more than she bargained for.</p><p>“Every night? I thought you hated me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not even close.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lazy morning kisses and breakfast in bed marked the beginning of a new form of partnership. This was a new side of Rio she hadn’t seen, maybe she had caught glimpses of it that afternoon in her bed.<br/>
Carefree and teasing.<br/>
Accidentally spilling yoghurt down her front as an excuse to lick it off.<br/>
Tasting her lips as she was eating berries. Giving her butterfly kisses on her mouth as he was groaning about how sweet she tasted.<br/>
Touching her constantly, always.<br/>
When he would catch her staring, shooting him a small, embarrassed smile, he would return it with a full grin of his own reaching his eyes and wrinkling the corners of them. Like he couldn't believe she wanted him.<br/>
She had never seen him so beautiful.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know it got a bit cheesy there at the end, but what can you do? *shrugs*</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I more or less realized after the first chapter that this was gonna' be a multi chapter fic.<br/>I'll try to keep it four chapters long. </p><p>Hope you'll enjoy the read!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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